Of course, there is a whole back story concerning allegations that Chalabi looted Jordan's Petra Bank. Chalabi says that the Jordanians wanted him to use bank money to fund the INC, then got cold feet when Saddam threatened retaliation on Jordan.
This anti-Chalabi thing sounds silly -- even if Chalabi kept some of the looted money for himself, which I doubt, the Iraqi people have a right to vote for the lesser evil just like we do. Hopefully will considered who hates Chalabi and why before we consider dumping him.
Forgive to obvious question, but what is the domain name of Iraq's version of Free Republic?
While both sentences are true, the implied connection between them isn't quite right. State and CIA intensely dislike Chalabi and always have. But the reason is that he speaks quite directly of their past games in the region, their cynical deals, their policy mistakes, their backstabs and sellouts.
He has been consistently pro democracy and anti Saddam for over 30 years. The US State department and CIA can't say as much about *themselves* (leave aside other regional rulers). And they are embarassed about it, so they play smash mouth with the messenger. What they hate about Chalabi is that he refuses to shut up about, among others -
Backing Iraqi Baathists to give Egyptian nationalists competition
After Egypt became tractable, supporting Kurdish rebels working for the Shah and trying to overthrow Saddam
then selling them out to work with Saddam when Iran had its revolution
supporting the war by Iraq against Iran
selling out the 1991 rebellion after Gulf War I
wasting the 90s trying to get a new Baathist tyrant via coup
Calling Iraqi democrats useless dreamers and insisting only a tyrant could run the place
It is not exactly an honorable history, for day to day policy decisions down at the departments, as opposed to the interventions at the level of the president or congress.
The root cause of State and CIA distaste for Chalabi is the oldest Washington bureaucrat's game - CYA...